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Stop rape.
Credit: PTI Photo
A nine-year-old girl was found murdered under suspicious circumstances near the Dasara Exhibition Grounds at Indira Nagar (Ittigegud), in the jurisdiction of Nazarbad Police Station, in the early hours of Thursday. Police suspect kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder.
The incident is said to have occurred between 11.30 pm and 5 am. The victim’s body was discovered around 6 am in a ditch near a drainage, approximately 50 metres from her family’s temporary tent.
Her pants and innerwear were missing, and she sustained injuries to her head, cheek, neck, and elbow.
The deceased was a class 3 student and the second of five children in a nomadic family from Kalaburagi.
Her parents, belonging to the Adi Karnataka community, had come to Mysuru around 20 days ago along with ten other families to sell balloons and dolls during the Dasara festivities. They were staying in a roadside shed near Nagaswamy Temple on Manasara Road.
According to the complaint, the girl had been sleeping with her grandmother on Wednesday night, while her parents and siblings slept nearby.
Around 4.30 am, the family woke up due to the rain and found the child missing. A search led to the discovery of her body near the Exhibition Grounds’ parking area.
Based on CCTV camera footage, police identified and traced Karthik, the suspect, to Kollegal. He was reportedly shot in the leg while trying to flee during the arrest.
The accused, a 31-year-old resident of Siddalingapura in Mysuru taluk, has a criminal history, including a previous arrest in an attempted rape case in Mandya. He was released from prison recently and is said to be an alcoholic who frequented the area.
Senior police officials, including DCPs R N Bindu Mani and K S Sundar Raj, visited the spot of the incident along with forensic experts and a dog squad.
An FIR has been registered under the Sections 4, 5(i), 5(m), and 6 of the POCSO Act, along with the Sections 137(2), 65(2), and 103(1) of the BNS at the Nazarbad Police Station.
Notably, the victim’s family had planned to return to Kalaburagi on Thursday, following the conclusion of the Dasara celebrations in Mysuru.
This incident occurred just metres away from the site where another man, Venkatesh alias Gilki (45), was found murdered on Tuesday.